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The Strand Theatre in downtown Pontiac first began as a vaudeville theater in 1921. It later became a movie house before closing in the mid-1990s.
On Dec. 15, visitors can see the $20-million renovation at the historic Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Pontiac at a 7:30 p.m. benefit.
Natalie Broda reports in The Oakland Press:
The event is a celebration of the $20-million renovation at 12 N. Saginaw St., according to a press release, with proceeds going to benefit the Encore Performing Arts Center, a nonprofit organization that will manage the theater with a mission to educate and inspire through the performing arts.
The theater will open in January according to Bill Lee, president and CEO of the theater, with the official announcement for the 2017 lineup to come on or around the Dec. 15 event. Charlene’s Theater Bar will be open inside the theater that night as well as the upstairs mezzanine bar, lounge area and screening room. Slows Bar BQ, adjoined to the venue, will open in the new year.
Plaster, detail work and painting are still underway. The theater’s designer opted for a yellow and maroon paint combo for the main theater, a color scheme which Lee said is typical for the era of when the theater was originally open.